Drug-free nasal spray offers nearly 100% protection from respiratory infections: Harvard Study

Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital study found a drug-free nasal spray that offers nearly 100% protection against various respiratory infections.

Study in US: As per a new study by Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a drug-free nasal spray offers nearly 100% protection from respiratory infections such as influenza, COVID-19, viruses, and pneumonia-causing bacteria.

This spray forms a gel-like matrix which catches and neutralizes germs causing these infections. It offers another layer of protection, said the study.

Co-senior author Jeffrey Karp, distinguished chair in anesthesiology at BWH said, “The COVID pandemic showed us what respiratory pathogens can do to humanity in a very short time. That threat hasn’t gone away. Not only do we have the flu to deal with seasonally, but we now have COVID, too."

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The new study also talks about the team's efforts in creating a nasal spray to defend against airborne respiratory illness.

Co-senior author Nitin Joshi, an assistant professor of anesthesiology at BWH said, “The spray, called Pathogen Capture and Neutralizing Spray (PCANS) in the paper, was developed using ingredients from the FDA’s Inactive Ingredient Database (IID), which have been previously used in approved nasal sprays, or from the Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list of the FDA. We developed a drug-free formulation using these compounds to block germs in three ways — PCANS forms a gel-like matrix that traps respiratory droplets, immobilizes the germs, and effectively neutralizes them, preventing infection.”

The experiment was done in a laboratory setting and was not done directly on humans. The formulation was developed and the researchers studied its ability on a 3D-printed replica of a human nose where they tested its capacity to capture respiratory droplets.

“PCANS forms a gel, increasing its mechanical strength by a hundred times, forming a solid barrier. It blocked and neutralized almost 100 percent of all viruses and bacteria we tested, including Influenza, SARS-CoV-2, RSV, adenovirus, K Pneumonia and more," said primary author John Joseph, a former postdoctoral fellow at BWH.

In mice, it was shown that a single dose of the PCANS spray can block infection from viru PR8 which is an influenza virus.

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